
Islamic militants seize Catholic priest in Syria
A long-serving Franciscan priest and 20 other Christians have been seized by militants from from the al-Qaeda affiliate the al-Nusra Front in a village in northwestern Syria. Father Hanna Jallouf of the Custody of the Holy Land, who has worked is parish priest for Qunyeh, was snatched along with... read more »

Federal court overturns ban on same-sex marriages in five more US states
A federal court has struck down gay marriage bans in several western US states, effectively raising the number of states in which same-sex couples can marry from 19 to 35 over just two days. The ruling by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals applied specifically to gay marriage prohibitions in... read more »

Iran arrests 130 linked to extremist Sunni groups
TEHRAN – Iran has arrested over 130 members of Sunni Takfiri groups across the country, who intended to pose threats against the Islamic republic, Iran’s intelligence minister said on Tuesday. Tens of intelligence operations by Iranian intelligence forces led to the identification and... read more »

New worries emerge as nurse in Spain gets Ebola
Washington: Raising fresh concern around the world, a nurse in Spain on Monday became the first person known to catch Ebola outside the outbreak zone in West Africa. In the US, President Barack Obama said the government was considering ordering more careful screening of airline passengers arriving... read more »